World Cup, 1986

Sorry just had to post this because I find it so funny. Those two are "fighting." The guy on the right is British, the guy on the left is from Argentina. Wonders of wonders, the two teams were playing one another at Aztec Stadium in Mexico City.

I think the internet just got its new viral photo. Enjoy.

Sad day at the World Cup

It's only a day old, but the 2010 World Cup already has a downer story to talk about.

JOHANNESBURG (AP)—It should have been a moment of triumph—Nelson Mandela, basking in the cheers as Africa’s first World Cup opened. Nelson Mandela with his great-granddaughter Zenani, who was killed in a car accident following Thursday's kickoff concert. (AP Photo/Peter Morey)

Instead, South Africa’s beloved anti-apartheid icon stayed at home with his family Friday in northern Johannesburg during the opening ceremony and game, mourning his 13-year-old great-granddaughter Zenani, who died in a car crash on the way home from a tournament-eve concert in Soweto.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation said the tragedy “made it inappropriate” for the former president, who is 91, to attend the opening ceremony in Johannesburg.
That's a shame considering how much Nelson Mandela represents to South Africa and how this should be one of his finest moments. Prayers go out to him, and the good things that people say about this man are too hard to count. Sad day.

Tour Divide mountain bike race

Earlier this year we showed you a preview for Ride the Divide.

The film was about the Tour Divide mountain bike race which spans from Banff, Canada to Mexico.

And the 2010 edition kicks off today.

Racers will ride 2711 miles in this race which traverses the Continental Divide. They'll end up climbing over 200,000 feet during the race. This year's race has 48 riders and you can keep track on the event through live updates on ustream.

And of the 48 riders, six of them are from Washington. They are: Eric Bruntjen, Roslyn, WA; Brett Foster, Kirkland, WA; Kent Peterson, Issaquah, WA; Dave Preston, Seattle, WA; Mike Prochaska, North Bend, WA; and Derek Richert, Seattle, WA.

The Tour Divide is an completely self supported ride. That means that racers must carry all of their gear and supplies with them throughout the ride. And unlike more "traditional" bicycle races, there are no set start and stop spots besides the start and finish line. The clock runs continuously once started.

She or he who can ride the fastest while making fewer, shorter stops usually wins. With an average time-to-completion of three weeks in the saddle, TD is the longest–arguably most challenging–mountain bike race on the planet. It is a contest for the ultra-fit but only if ultra-prepared for myriad contingencies of backcountry biking.

And the riders must be prepared for anything. From single track trails to long dirt roads. And they'll be spending 16+ hours a day in the saddle through some of the densest areas of grizzly and mountain lion populations in the country.

The route is unmarked and riders must navigate their way through five different states and two Canadian provinces. Services are often 100 miles or more apart and remember, this ride is through the mountains where the weather can change in the blink of an eye.

Last year's winner was Matthew Lee. It was his fifth victory in the Tour Divide. He covered the course in 18 days. This year again Lee is registered for the race. We'll see if he can make it six.

We'll keep track of the race here.

Marlins will have real fish in their stadium

All these new Major League ballparks have gone retro, featuring unique quirks and aspects that make them stand out from the rest. It's certainly better than the cookie-cutter stadiums of the 60s and 70s, although it would be nice if they didn't cost tax-payers an arm and a leg.

The Marlins new stadium takes the cake for a unique quirk. They're installing an aquarium backstop. What?

The two giant aquariums will be located on either side of home plate, but not directly behind it. And no worries on a Faith No More-type situation with a fish flopping around on the ground and gasping for air because the aquariums will be constructed with shatterproof glass.
MLB.com has more details:

"Each aquarium will be constructed using a durable fiberglass structure, and white crystal-clear acrylic panels 1.5 inches thick will be used for the viewing windows. To safeguard it from impact, Lexan — the material used for bulletproof windows — will be installed in front and in back of the acrylic panels."

The aquariums will hold 600 and 450 gallons, but will sadly not be big enough for a real marlin.

This makes me think they should have Grizzly Bears at UM's home stadium.

Morning coffee... June 11, 2010

Boise State has left the WAC conference for the Mountain West Conference, leaving many wondering what other schools will make a move in the college football landscape.

Colorado and now Boise State have made changes, who is next? I can only expect the names of the schools to get bigger and more numerous. Ready for college football to change forever?

Montana college sports

Montana's Drennen finishes seventh in 1,500 meter event at Nationals - MontanaGrizzlies.com
The farthest I've ever ran is to the fridge. Seriously, distance running is the last thing you'll see a journalist doing. Buying a donut at the bakery across the street? Bingo.

Watch them set up the MSU basketball floor on YouTube
Sorry I don't have any Bobcat news at the moment. Forgive me.

Local-ish news

MMA bouts planned in Kalispel tonight - The Daily Interlake
Things you will not see me do... get in the octagon.

National news

South Africa ties Mexico 1-1 in the World Cup opener
For those of you that follow soccer, the WORLD CUP IS HERE!!!!

Epic Video: Reba

Which one is the real Reba? I can't tell.

Bicycle training

I'm still training for the People's Coast Classic and figured I'd update you guys on how it is going.

Fund-raising

First off let's start with fund-raising. We've been hitting the fund-raising trail and right now our team is sitting at just over $2,000. Keep in mind we need to raise $7,500 as a team. To all those who have donated THANK YOU! And if you haven't and have a few dollars to spare, please consider doing so.

The funds go to a great cause and are TAX DEDUCTIBLE. The funds are broken down pretty simply and again, we are riding in honor of my niece who went blind in one eye at the age of six due to juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

For each dollar that I raise, 49 cents goes toward funding research, 19 cents goes to public education programs (such as camps for kids), 8 cents goes to patient and community services (such as Lifestyle Improvement exercise programs, 4 cents goes toward updating medical providers on the latest in arthritis treatments and 20 cents goes toward fund-raising costs.

So please donate and SUPPORT our ride! You can visit my ride site to donate. Thank you.

TRAINING

As for training I am slowly adding the miles. On Tuesday I rode into Seattle for a round trip 25 miler.

So far I've put on just over 200 miles of training. I know, I know. Not a tone. But it's been raining like a monsoon for most of the summer so far and to compensate I've been hitting the gym.

My bike has been holding up nicely. The tires however have not. Haha.

I got my first flat with it on a 50 mile ride two weeks ago. Glass on the trail. Since then I've had two more flats for a total of three. And you know what they say, "bad things come in threes." Let's hope that is true for flat bicycle tires!

On Sunday I'm meeting up with my dad for about a 50 mile ride. If the weatherman is correct should be a beautiful day.

That's all I have for an update at this time. Tune back in for more soon!

Big Sky Conference shake up?

Huge news for college football, and this is only the tip of the iceberg. Colorado is headed to the Pac-10. Now sit back and watch the Big 12 crumble to nothing. If more teams follow, the Pac-10 could look completely different in a blink of the eye. Also considering USC was just slapped with a two-year postseason ban, things are getting really juicy.

Now lets step back and take a look at how this affects more local teams, namely the Big Sky and the Montana schools. Talk of moving up to FBS is nothing new for Montana and Montana State, however is it the right move if this Big 12 vacuum clears some space in the smaller conferences?

Having seen a program fall flat when they moved up first hand, let me be the first to say that the Montana schools don't want to become the next Idaho. They also shouldn't expect to have Boise State-like success if they move up. I recently read this very well-written article in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle by Will Holden explaining the challenges of the transition from FCS and FBS. I want to show you a few snippets and explain why it would be a bad idea for the Montana schools to move up.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL BREAKDOWN

Epic Video: USPS Toy Story

This one is for my dad!

Reasons why you're still single... beach ball guy

You're sitting an enjoying a perfectly good sporting event with a big crowd and this guy shows up. He looks around for ushers. He pulls something out of his pocket. He blows it up.

... and for the next 20 minutes, the game is ruined because this damned beach ball is bouncing in front of you.

What is this? 1994? Beach balls are stadiums are not only outdated but they're also annoying. It's like the wave but less social. And what if I don't want to hit the ball around? Beach ball guy, I hope you die a long, painful death.

You can't count out Derek Fisher

This gets me every time when the Lakers are in the Finals. Derek Fisher turns in a clutch performance and the media acts like they've been blindsided. He's been doing this for years! Granted, he has played old and washed-up for most of the season but one thing you can never do in the NBA playoffs is underestimate somebody that has been there before.

Fisher took over in the fourth quarter last night, scoring four clutch baskets to help LA beat Boston 91-84. That gives the Lakers a 2-1 lead in the series and lets them regain home court advantage. He finished with 16 points, second highest to Kobe's 29 on the team.

Now, many people have said he's been playing like a wet suitcase all season. Many people were right, but mark my word, you can always count on Derek Fisher coming up big in the clutch. He's hit big threes, he's caused Sacramento Kings fans to contemplate jump off a building and he's been every bit a staple of the Lakers' greatness as Kobe.

Is he as good as Kobe? Heck no. Not even close. He's a role player for sure. However, Fisher is also a veteran that knows where he needs to be at the right time. When the moment is right, he knows when to pull the trigger. He understands that no matter how terrible he is during the regular season, all it takes is some plays in the post-season to help your team.

That is why, you can never count out Derek Fisher. He'll come back to bite you.

Epic Videos: SJAMAYEE!

I have no idea what SJAMAYEE! is. I tried a search for it. All I could find is that it is a "humor short that is shown on Belgian TV."

Gotta love European humor. Here's a few of them that I found.

Golden Tate likes maple bars

Is it wise to have a wide-receiver that likes maple bars this much?

Police were called to Top Pot Doughnuts in Bellevue, Washington, at 3:00 a.m. on Saturday after two men were found entering the store after hours. Turns out new Seahawk Golden Tate just had a case of the munchies.

It seems Tate, who lives in the building above the shop, apparently came home in the wee hours and was overcome by the smell of freshly baked maple bars. It's been well-established that the man lacks all self-control. So he and his buddy just went in and took some. Too bad the store didn't open for another four hours.

I don't know what is more weird, Tate thinking its cool to enter a store after hours or Tate living about a bakery. You decide.

Schools looking to get into the Pac-10

Before the Pac-10 becomes the Pac-39, here are some schools there should look at.

WSU - they're not in the league right now are they? Oh they are? Oops.

School of Hard Knocks - Their mascot, the high school dropout, is pretty cool.

Some Canadian school - that would make the Pac-10 competitive in Hockey. We're not being stereotypical are we?

Duke University - That way they could smell their own farts with the academics at Cal and Stanford.

The School for the Blind - This is where you could get all the Pac-10 refs!

Tim Tebow University - Formerly known as the University of Florida.

Seattle Seahawks - Come on, coached by Pete Carroll, a roster of good college players, they might even go to a bowl game.

Epic Photo: How many wins do these guys have?

I mean, I guess when you're the mascot of a really bad team you have to hang out with mascots of other really bad teams.

BP Irony....

Epic Photo: Casey's new office attire

This is what Casey takes to his job interviews. Cool Huh?

We've been in Afghanistan for a long time

Just saw this today on ABCNews.com. Obviously a milestone that nobody really wants to reach but the Afghanistan has lasted longer than the Vietnam War. But are we losing the war?

And today "The Other War" has gained a fresh and dubious distinction: it is the longest war in our nation's history, surpassing the conflict in Vietnam. 103 months passed between passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and the withdrawal of the last American combat forces from Vietnam. As of today, the Afghanistan war is 104 months old. 

Insurgency isn't something you can defeat on the battlefield, it's going to take reform. It's going to be interesting to see what happens when we pull out of that country, I have a feeling it may not be pretty. However, don't forget that everybody supported the war when it started so we really have nobody to blame but ourselves. And that's if there is blame to be thrown, we attacked Osama Bin Laden's home turf and put his organization on their heels.

I'm not getting in a jumpsuit and saying "Mission Accomplished" but I don't think you can look at Afghanistan as an absolute disaster. 

Outdoor Photo of the Week: A view of Flathead Lake

Here's a photo I took from my cellphone (!!!!) of a sunset on Flathead Lake in Montana last night.

Holy Cow!

Boo England!

So the United States will be taking on England in the first round of World Cup games, meaning we'll have to deal with some of the most passionate soccer fans in the world. Here is how you get into their head...

- Remind them that the NFL still makes more money than the English Premiere League. Also mention that unlike the EPL, there are women football fans.
- Remind them that they live in England.
- Remind them than even though we don't have universal healthcare over here, we still have better teach.
- Oh and our food is better.
- Say "lets play a game, raise your hand if you've won a revolutionary war."
- Tell them that their biggest contribution to the musical world was the Spice Girls.
- Braveheart. Yeah, you guys are a bunch of dicks. Oh, and William Wallace owned you.
- Inform them that they created Canada. Yeah thanks for that.
- America has NASCAR. England has Mini-Coopers. I think we win.
- Tell them France is better. That will go over well.